Beverage dispensers and fountain equipment used in the beverage industry are well-known in the art. Generally, beverage dispensers and fountain equipment mix a supply of a concentrate, such as syrup for soft drinks, and a supply of a diluent, such as soda water or plain water. The combined mixture of concentrate and diluent is then simultaneously dispensed into a beverage cup. A proper mixture of concentrate and diluent is essential for the beverage dispenser to serve beverages with consistent quality and taste.
A beverage dispenser may have several functional modules providing different operations and functions. Typically, flow lines connect the different functional modules. Separate storage modules may store the concentrate and the diluent until ready for mixture. When a mixture is required by the beverage dispenser, a pumping module transports concentrate and diluent to a dispensing module. For example, a pump in the beverage dispenser transports concentrate from the storage module to the dispensing module through one or more flow lines between the storage and dispensing modules.
Different types of pumps may be used, for example, a reciprocating single action pump may be used in a beverage dispenser. A reciprocating single action pump has a distinct intake and a distinct output cycle, such that the pump discharges only once for each double stroke of the pump piston or plunger. Thus, in a reciprocating single action pump, the pump forces concentrate through a flow line connected to a suction intake end of the pump during the pump input cycle. The pump then drives the concentrate through an output end of the pump during the pump discharge cycle to the dispensing module. Conversely, in a double action pump, the pump discharges twice during a double stroke of the pump piston or plunger.
The dispensing modules typically use manual or automatic valves to gauge and to regulate the mixture of concentrate and diluent. Volumetric dispensing valves are well known in the art for efficiently metering and distributing the flow of concentrate and diluent for a beverage. For example, a volumetric dispensing valve can dispense a steady pulse of concentrate for a set period of time.
Even though the volumetric dispensing valve has improved the regulation of the flow from the storage module, irregularities in the flow of concentrate can be introduced by combining a volumetric dispensing valve with a reciprocating single action pump. Flow irregularities can be created when the dispensing valve assumes that the concentrate from the reciprocating single action pump is at or above a minimum pressure each time the valve inlet opens. If the concentrate at the valve inlet is not maintained at or above the minimum pressure, the volumetric dispensing valve may introduce irregularities in the flow of concentrate. These irregularities may affect the component ratio of the beverage mixture to be dispensed and the taste of the beverage mixture may not meet consumers' expectations.
Pulsation dampeners, cushion chambers, surge accumulators, and the like may be used to reduce the flow irregularities and to smooth the flow in the suction and/or discharge lines of pumps. Commonly used pulsation dampeners include gas bladders or actuated diaphragms regulating a separate gas chamber.
Lack of space, however, within beverage dispensers and fountain equipment is a disadvantage in using conventional gas bladders and diaphragms as pulsation dampeners in beverage dispensers and fountain equipment. Typically, the functional modules inside beverage dispensers and fountain equipment are compactly sized to fit within operational specifications and size constraints. Conventional gas bladders or diaphragms separating gas chambers would take up valuable space within the beverage dispenser or fountain equipment.
Material incompatibility of conventional gas bladders and diaphragms with the concentrate used in the beverage dispenser further increases the disadvantage of using such conventional bladders or diaphragms as pulsation dampeners. The concentrate tends to corrode or attack the material of conventional gas bladders and diaphragms used as pulsation dampeners. This corrosion may lead to the premature failure of the pulsation dampener. Substantial and costly downtime may result by having to replace failed pulsation dampeners or other equipment affected by the failure of a pulsation dampener in beverage dispenser and fountain equipment.
The food and beverage industry is a highly competitive marketplace for cold beverage suppliers. Cold beverage suppliers rely on beverage dispensers and fountain equipment to dispense soft drinks into drinking cups for sale to customers. Any significant savings in the costs or performance associated with beverage dispensers and fountain equipment would give a beverage supplier a competitive advantage over other beverage suppliers vying for marketshare in the industry.
Thus, there is a need for the improvement of the concentrate flow from a beverage dispenser when a single action pump and volumetric dispensing valve are combined to dispense concentrate.
There is a further need for improvement in the consistency of the delivery for quality dispensed beverages that meet the consumers' expectations for taste.
Further, there is a need for a low cost, easy to manufacture pulsation dampener for a reciprocating single action pump that can be used in compact beverage dispensers and fountain equipment.
And further, there is a need for a materially compatible pulsation dampener for use with concentrates dispensed by beverage dispensers and fountain equipment.